Box-making machine



(No Model.) 7

M. D. KNOWLTON.

BOX MAKING MAOHINE. No. 354,866. Patented Dec. 21, 1886.

' NITED STATES PATENT FFICE.

MARK D. KNOWLTON, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

BOX-MAKING MACHINE.

I SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N 0. 354,866, dated December 21, 1886.

Application filed July 10, 1885. Serial No. 171,184. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, MARK D. KNowL'roN, of Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain newand useful Improvements in Box-Making Machines; and I do hereby declare that the following is .a full, clear, and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters of reference mark-ed thereon, which form a part of this specification.

The object of this invention is to provide an improved means for use in the manufacture of boxes of paper, straw-board, or other material for inserting the flat or approximately flat ends or walls of the boxes into the tubular portions or bodies thereof; and it consists in the matters hereinafter described, and pointed out in the appended claims.

The device herein illustrated as embodying my invention comprises principally two relatively-rnovable parts or dies, one of which is made concave and the other convex upon its working-face, and which are adapted. to be brought together, so as to temporarilybend or flex the end piece of a box placed between them into a concave or dish shape, so as to slightly reduce the diameter of said end piece thereby and permit its insertion into the tubularpart of the box, a suitable guide orsupport being providedin connection with said dies for holding the tubular parts of the boxes in proper position with relation to the dies while insert-ing the end pieces. 1

One form of the device herein shown is more particularly designed for making cylindric boxes having circular apertures in one of their end pieces or disks, for the insertion and discharge of the contents of the receptacle:

The invention may be more readily understood by reference to the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a side view of one form of device embodying my invention. Fig. 2 is an enlarged detail section of a part of the same taken upon line as a" of Fig. 3. Fig. 3 is a horizontal detail section taken upon line a: x

of Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is a section of a completed box or receptacle of'the kind which the device shown in Figs. 1, 2, and 3 is more particularly designed to make. Fig. 5 illustrates a device embodying general features of my cave upper surface, a, and B indicates as a whole the movable partdie or plunger, the die or plunger B being arranged to move axiallyin line with the support or die A, and operating in connection with the latter to temporarily hold in concavo-convex or dish 6 form a box end or disk placed between them.

The form of the device shown in Figs. 1, 2,

, and 3 is more particularly designed for inserting the-apertured end 0 of a cylindric recep} tacle or box, 0, Fig. 4, and for this purpose 7O the movable part or plunger Bis constructed to work through the interior of the support A, and .is adapted at its upper end for insertion through. the orifice c of the disk C when the said disk is placed upon the support, said 7 plunger being provided with means adapted to engage the margins of the orifice, so that when the plunger is depressed themiddle part of the disk will be forced or. carried down wardly into the concave surface a.

In the particular form of the device illustrated in said Figs. ,1, 2, and 3 the eoncaved' disk-support A is made of tubular form and arranged vertically, and is held in a suitable. flanged support or casting, A, which may be 8 attached to the edge of a bench, A or otherwise sustained, as desired. The movable part or plunger, which is indicated as a whole by B, in this case comprises two parts,an outer tubular portion, B, and an inner core or rod, B The tubularpart B issplit longitudinally in its upper portion, so as to form a series of radially-movable spring-fingers, I), provided near their upper ends with shoulders 12, adapted for engagement with the margin of the orifice 5 c in the disk 0. The fing'ersBare constructed to stand normally in a contracted position, the upper ends of the said fingers above the shoul-' ders I) being arranged to pass freely through the orifice a when the fingers are contracted. I00

For the purpose of expanding or throwing apart or outwardly the said fingersso as to cause the shoulders b to engage the disk, the rod B is made vertically movable with relation to the tube B, and is provided with an enlarged part or head, B, adapted to engage and throw outwardly the free upper ends of the fingers when the said rod is moved downwardly, and to release the said fingers when moved in the contrary direction. In the particular construction illustrated the fingers b are provided upon their inner faces in their parts above the shoulders 12 with shoulders 1), formment or head B above the shoulders b, so that thefingers are in their contracted position to enable them to pass freely through the orifice of the disk.

In the operation of the parts above described the rod is firstdrawn down so as to expand the fingers and to cause the shoulders b to engage the edges of the disk, and the entire plunger is then depressed, so as to carry the middle of the disk downwardly into contact with the surface a.

As a simple and convenient means for actuating the parts in the manner described, the tube B .is held at the upper limit of its move-. ment by the action of a spring suitably applied for this purpose, and a foot-lever is connected with the rod B for the purpose of moving the latter vertically, said rod being provided with a. projecting flange or stop adapted to engage the tube B or the fingers b thereon, arranged in such position that after the fingers have been spread by the downward movement of the rod the said flange or stop will engage the tube or fingers, and the further movement of the rod will carry said tube downwardly against the action of the spring. As preferably constructed, the said stop or flange is in the form of a head, B, upon the end of the rod B above the part B, the said head being adapted to encounter the upper ends of the fingers b, and thereby depress the said fingers and the tube B, as described.

7 A simple and convenient construction in the actuating devices above mentioned is herein illustrated, and is as follows: A horizontal lever, D, is pivoted at d upon the casting A in position to rest in contact near its free end with the lower end of the tube B which protrudes below the support A. Said free end of the lever D is sustained by means of a spring, D, herein shown as of spiral form ,and located between the lower surface of said lever and a nut or shoulder, d, upon a vertical rod, D,- se

cured at itsupper end in the casting A. The rod Bis connected at its lower end with a yoke, E, pivot-ally connected vwith the short horizontal arm e upon the upper end of a vertically-arranged lever, E, which is pivoted to the casting A, and is adapted to be swung horizontally at its lower end by the foot of the operator applied to a cross-bar, e, thereon, or otherwise, so as to move the rod B vertically by the oscillatory movement of the arm e. The lever D and the tube B are normally held by the spring D in position with the shoulders b of the fingers b considerably above the top surface of the support A, as clearly shown in Fig. 1,and the rod B is capable of movement, so as to carry the upper end or head,B, of the rod B considerably above the fingers b, and with the enlargement B in position to allow the radial contraction of the fingers b. The interior passage of the tubular support A may be made larger at its lower than at its upper part, and provided with a shoulder, a,adapted to engage inwardly-bent parts or shoulders 'b upon the fingers b,so as to positively throw inwardly the said fingers when the latter reach the upper limit of their movement.

When the parts are in the position last mentioned, and as shown in Fig. 1., the box end or disk may obviously be readily applied over the ends of the fingers and allowed to rest upon the concave upper surfaceof the support A. If the lever Enow be moved to the right, or in the direction of the arrow in Fig. 1, the fingers will obviously first be expanded by the drawing down between them of the enlarged A part B of the rod, so that said fingers will engage the edges of the orifice in the disk, and

after such engagement the continued downward movement of the rod will cause, by the contact of the head B with the upper ends of the fingers, the descent of the said fingers and the tube B against the action of the spring. In such descent of the fingers the middle part of the disk will, of course, be thrust down wardly or depressed into contact with the concave surface a of the support A. When the 7 disk is held in the position mentioned the cylindric part of the box may be readily and quickly placed over or around the edges of the disk, either before the opposite end or bottom of the box has been placed therein or afterward, as is the case withthe box illustrated in Fig. 2.

To facilitate the accurate placing of the disk with its surface "perpendicular to the axis of the tubular part of the box, the support A is preferably provided with a guide or bearing surface, a, adjacent to the concave surface a, against which the edge or rim of the said tubular part of the box maybe brought. The said surface a is preferably formed upon a verticall y-adj ustable ring, A, secured upon the support A by a set-screw,a,or otherwise, whereby the said surface may be moved vertically for the purpose of placing the box end or disk at a greater or less distance from, or flush with,

the edge of the tube asdesired. As shown in Fig. 2, the said ring A is arranged with its upper surface, a, in the same plane with the top of the support A, so that the face of the disk will be placed accurately flush with the edges of the tube. The outer surfaces of the fingers b above the shoulders I) are preferably inclined inwardly, so as to afford a conical sur face over which the apertured disks may be readily slipped, and the upper surface of the head B is preferably rounded to facilitate the placing of said disks upon the machine.

In the form of device shown in Fig. 5, the plunger B is made of considerably less diameter than the concave support A, and is arranged axially in line with said support, and constructed to move toward and fromthe latter, so that the end of said plunger may be brought into contact with the middle part of the disk placed upon the support, and the middle part of the disk thereby pressed into the concavity a for the purpose above de scribedi As shown in said Fig. 5, the plunger B is conveniently supported in a bearing, B formed upon a suitable standard or frame, B, and said plungeris actuated by a lever, F, pivotally connected with the said frame 13* and with the plunger, and united by means of the rod F with the end of a treadle or other actu-' ating device. a The said plunger is in this case conveniently thrown upward by a spring, G, located around the plunger above the bearing B The device shown in Fig. 5 affords a simple means for inserting the non-apertured end or the bottom of a box, or of a box-cover; It may also be used in inserting such bottom after 'an apertured top has been inserted, provided the plunger is made smaller than the aperture in the top, as shown in Fig. 5. By employing a plunger made slightly larger upon its working-face than the orifice, also,a device of the character shown in Fig. 5 may be used for inserting the apertured ends of the boxes, and the opposite or bottom end then inserted by employing a plunger made smaller than the aperture.

The form ofthe deviceshown in Figs. 1, 2,and 3 affords important advantages for use in the insertion of the apertured ends,for the reasons that the disks may be readily and quickly placed thereon, and are automatically centered upon the concave or stationary support or die, and that the handling of the tubular part of the box is greatly facilitated by the absence of a plunger above the stationary die, as, in the device shown in Fig. 5.

The principal feature of my invention is embodied in a device embracing two relativelymovable parts or dies,"having their meeting faces formed to temporarily hold in concavoconvex or dish form a box end placed between them, and it is to be understood that I claim, broadly, a device consisting of or embracing such movable parts. In carrrying out this broad feature of my invention, the two parts or dies may be supported and actuated in any desired or preferred manner, and their meet ing faces may be of any form adapted to give a concavo-convex shape to the box end. In the form of the device shown in Figs. 1, 2, and 3, and in Fig. 5, the male die or plunger by which the disk is forced into the concave die is made considerablysmaller than the latter, and engages the central part only of the box end. Both dies may, however, be made of the same diameter, or nearly so, as illustrated in Fig. 6, in which a die or plunger, B, is shown as made'with its working-face convex and a The surface of nearly as large as the disk. the die A, or of both dies, may obviously be either of curved cross-sectional shape, as shown in Figs. 2 and 5, or of conical form, or as shown in Fig. 6, the use of a smoothly-curvedsurface being usually preferred in order to avoid sharply bending or breaking the box ends. It

into which the central part of the diskis depressed may be arranged to support only the part adjacent to its edge, as is indicated, for instance, in Fig. 7, in which the support A is of ring shape, or formed with a relatively narrow annular bearing-surface, the plunger or .85 is also entirely obvious that the support or die v placed thereon they are liable to come into contact with the lower or salient edge of said ends only. The said edge of the box end or theinner surface of the tube is usually covered with glue before being placed in the machine, and the said edge of the box end being inclined as described and free to enter the tube by reason of its reduced diameter when held, as set forth, it is apparent that the tube may be placed in position over the box end without liability of removing any of the glue therefrom, so that when the end is released a greater part of the glue will remain between the surfaces in contact.

A device or machine embracing the general features of construction above set forth may obviously be employed in inserting the ends of boxes of other material than paper-as, for

instance, those of thin wood or metal-and such device or machine may be used for inserting the ends of boxes the tubular bodies of which are oval, many sided, or square, with practically the same advantages and mode of operation as above set forth in connection with the cylindric box illustrated.

In some cases it may be desired to insert an end piece which is permanently of concavoconvex shape, so as to give a convex or concave form to the box end, as indicated, for instance, indotted lines in Fig. 4, and in such case the devices above described may obviously be used to increase the curvature of the box end, so as to decrease its diameter and permit its insertion in the manner set forth. A box end may also be made permanently concave or convex by making the said end slightly larger than the interior of the'tnbe, so that after it has been bent into dish form and inserted it will be held from returning to its fiat shape.

It is to be understood, further, that the several appended claims cover the devices and parts or elements of devices therein set forth when said devices or parts thereof are in form to secure either, any, or all of the advantages, purposes, or functions secured by them in the particular construction herein described and shown.

I claim as my invention- 1. A device for inserting the ends or walls of boxes, comprising two coacting bendingdies, one of which is made concave upon its working-face, and a support or guide, as a, for sustaining the box-body in a desired position relatively to the box ends, substantially as described.

2. In a device for inserting ends or walls of boxes, the combination, with a movable plunger, of a stationary die or support having a concave working-face and provided with a guide or support, a, for the tubular part of the box, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

3. The combination, with a centrally-open die or support, A, of a movable part'or plunger passing through the die, and provided with means, substantially as described, for engaging the margins of the orifice in abox end, substantially as set forth.

4. The combination, with a centrally-open die or support, A, of a movable part or plunf ger, B, provided with radially-movable parts having surfaees'or shoulders adapted to engage the margins of the orifice in a box end, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

5. The combination with a centrally-open die or support, A, of a movable part or plunger, B, provided with radially-movable parts having surfaces or shoulders,b,means, substantially as described, for actuating the said'movable parts of the plunger, and means, substantially as described, for moving the plunger, substantially as set forth.

6. The combination, with a centrally-open support or die, A, of a movable plunger, B, provided with radially-movable spring-fingers b, having surfaces or shoulders b, adapted to engage the margins of an orifice in substantially as described.

7. The combination, with a centrally-open support or die, A, of a movable plunger, B,

a box end,

vided with an enlarged portion, B, adapted to engage and throw outwardly the said fingers, substantially as described.

8. The combination, with-a centrally-open die or support, A, of a plunger, B, provided with spring-fingers b, having shoulders b, a spring applied "to move the plunger bodily in one direction, and a longitudinally-movable rod provided with an enlarged part, B, adapted to engage and throw outwardly the fingers, and also with a projecting part or stop adapted to engage a part of the plunger, whereby both the fingers b and the plunger are actuated by the movements of the rod, substantially as described.

9. The combination, witha centrally-open support or die provided with an inner cylindric bearing-surface, of a plunger comprising a tube, B, constructed to slide in the support A, and having spring-fingers b, and a longitudinally-movable rod, B, passing through the tube B, and provided with an enlarged part, B, .constructed to engage and throw outwardly the fingers, substantially as described.

10. The combination, with a centrally-open support or die, A, of a plunger, B, comprising a tube, B, provided with fingers b, and a rod, B, passing through the tube and provided with an enlarged part, B, constructed to engage and throw outwardly the fingers, and with a projection or stop, as B, constructed to engage a part of the tube, a spring-actuated lever, D, located in contact with the lower end of the tube, and a lever, E, connected with the rod for actuating the latter, substantially as described.

11. The combination, with a die or support, A,having a concave working-face, and a plunger, B, of an adjustable part, A, provided with a surface, a, forming a rest or support for a tubular box-body, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

1 2. The combination, with a die or support, A, having a concave working-face and made cylindric upon its outer surface, and a plunger, B, of a ring, A, fitted to the said outer surface of the support, and means, substantially as described, for clamping the said ring in place, substantially as and for the purpose setforth.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my invention I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

MARK D. KNOVVLTON.

Witnesses:

O. CLARENCE PooLE, G. F."LANAGHEN.

IIO 

